


Indulgence

by PaopuNova



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn is a suave uncle and wingman, Au where porn studios are respected and classy, Eventual Smut, Everyone is happy and gets along except Calligo, M/M, Photographer prom, Porn Star AU, Porn Star! Noct, Porn with Feelings, just had some feelings that needed to get off my chest, worship kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-24 19:04:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12019071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaopuNova/pseuds/PaopuNova
Summary: Those clothes, Noctis had already begun to part with. After Ardyn was satisfied with shots of Noctis clothed, He gave Noctis free reign of his posing.That’s when Prompto felt himself devolving. Watching Noctis's gloved hands slide up and down the soft fabric of his carnelian tie, before finally hooking his finger into the knot and pulling it free. Prompto watched, biting his lip behind a clipboard as Noctis exposed his pale, sinuous neck to the ambient light of the set, practically broke apart when he heard the soft subsequent inhale from an accessory cinched too tight finally being released. The sound of the camera clicking away faded to the background as Noctis shed the vest, passed into the care of his dutiful manager, and worked his fingertips over the buttons of the smooth dress shirt below. Then, those eyes —god damn— caught Prompto’s from beyond the lights, and the photographer squeaked before returning to his fake notes behind the clipboard.He heard Ardyn chuckle, a deep and low sound that let Prompto know he’d been caught.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Probably not the first person with this idea, but here's the Porn Star of Lucis AU.





	1. The Porn Star of Lucis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThatKanraGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatKanraGirl/gifts).



> Man, I don't know what to tell you. It was just supposed to be a one shot, and I don't particularly think this first chapter is all that sexy, but like //shrug// they'll get to it, i can promise you this. Its called Indulgence because i'm indulging myself.
> 
> Unbeta'd, sorry

It wasn’t every day Prompto got to work with his favorite porn star.

Not every day he got to work at all, if he was being honest. He was just an assistant photographer and editor for one of Insomnia’s bigger photography studios, having worked his ass off just to get in the door. For two years, he’d just been a film developer in the dark rooms, and by chance he’d gotten Ardyn Fucking Izunia’s attention when he’d collided with him on his way out of the developing rooms, effectively spilling his own portfolio all over the floor at the man’s feet. He’d basically been caught red-handed having used the darkroom for his own photos. Prom had been a nervous wreck waiting for the pink slip to show up at his desk the next day, but instead... Mr. Izunia showed up with a chai latte, Prompto’s favorite, and an invitation to his team.

 The other interns at the time had been pissed—the older ones talked like Prom had done it on purpose, but really, he was just a _mess_ tripping over his own feet. A broke mess who couldn’t afford photo solution.

Really though? Working for Mr. Izunia was a glorified version of his old job; he just moved up two floors, used the dark rooms there, and took notes at the meetings with clients. He got paid a little better for it.  After a few months of proving that he had been learning something with the rest of the interns downstairs, Mr. Izunia started to insist that Prompto call him by his first name and dragged him off to his first out-of-house photo-shoot.

It was fucking amazing, even if Prompto had been a techie for the day, adjusting light filters and color balancing. It was more experience in a single evening than he’d had in the previous six months at the studio itself, and when he went home for the evening, he cried into his pillows from the overwhelming amount of _blessedness_ he felt.

Prompto got used to it, after a while. Nowadays, Ardyn was almost always away on some shoot around Insomnia, and Prompto was right there with the rest of the team. Sometimes, the shoots were lax and Ardyn got to show him a thing or two behind the camera. Other times the clients were so impossibly irritating Prompto felt second-hand frustration for his boss, whose smile would go from slight and genuine to cold, wide, and mischievously false before the young photographer could blink.

Usually, after those shoots, Ardyn would go on a spree. A spree of personal projects, financed with Niflheim Studio budgets, of course, that were niche, theatrical, and sometimes downright _strange._

This was one of those times. And gods  _above_ was Prompto so, so blessed.

“Prompto, my dear boy, if you do not pick your jaw up off the floor,” Ardyn purred quietly from behind his view finder, just quiet enough for only Prompto to hear, “I fear someone might trip over it.”

Prompto cleared his throat and pretended to be inspecting the lights. “We’re doing a sexy photo-shoot with Noctis Caelum, excuse me if I’m a little floored. How did we— You—”

“Lucis Studios pulled me for a favor, and I needed to blow off some steam, so here we are.” Ardyn chuckled, amber eyes alight with amusement. “Aww, come now Prompto. Don’t tell me you’ve never come face to face with your fantasies. Back in my day, I was meeting all sorts of celebrities on these damned shoots and—”

“For us normal people, they’re usually on the other side of the screen.” Prom hissed.

Ardyn had managed to obtain access to an old iron furnace down near the bay. The theme of the shoot was some sort of contradiction; Ardyn wanted to put the Prince of Lucis in a scenery of dilapidation, a rusted abandoned place with broken glass and unused, towering machinery as if to say diamonds could shine anywhere. It smelled like rust and sea salt, and Prompto had been with Ardyn as they’d come by the night before to arrange the set with what they found lying around, making sure that nothing dangerous was out and about for Noctis and the other models to be hurt on. Prompto was always one for meticulous cleaning, and he’d made sure even the concrete floors were spotless of packing sand and glass fragments.

He'd had no idea he’d be meeting with Noctis; it hadn’t registered with him that when Ardyn said they’d be photographing royalty he’d meant _porn_ royalty.

See, Noctis had a certain… air to him. An aura that had been apparent from his first amateur videos. He held himself like royalty, with narrow cutting eyes of dark sapphires and silken strands of black hair that just begged to be petted, clutched. His lips were meant for commanding, and had done exactly that to Prompto’s unrestricted attention from the first time his targeted ads had led him to Lucis’s website. Noctis had been front page and center, eyes soft and beckoning, fingers curled in an invitation to worship, with lips darkened like decadent wine for the promise of intoxicating kisses. The fantasy had taken to Prom like the idea of Noctis being a _prince_ had taken to all of his fans. Boom! Almost overnight he’d been named the Prince of Lucis.

They’d just finished setting up the stage when Noctis and his manager, who was also stupidly handsome, had strolled on site. At first, Prompto didn’t recognize him. Then he’d flipped his sunglasses up and yawned, and Prompto dropped a noisy amount of photography stands all over the floor.

Noctis conquered the set immediately, make-up pristine and photo ready, dressed in a faux-royalty suit of dark silk pinstripes and a wicked crimson tie, golden chains dripping from his breast pocket to a compact watch in his hand. That was all he needed, plus his face, with dark and sensuous smiles that led the gaze away from disastrous surroundings and back to where it really mattered. Him.

Prompto’s eyes slid away from his job and back to the sinfully delicious spread laid out before him.

It had started out so innocently, but Prom _should have known better._  

Those clothes, Noctis had already begun to part with. After Ardyn was satisfied with shots of Noctis clothed, He gave Noctis free reign of his posing.

That’s when Prompto felt himself devolving. Watching Noctis's gloved hands slide up and down the soft fabric of his carnelian tie, before finally hooking his finger into the knot and pulling it free. Prompto watched, biting his lip behind a clipboard as Noctis exposed his pale, sinuous neck to the ambient light of the set, practically broke apart when he heard the soft subsequent inhale from an accessory cinched too tight finally being released. The sound of the camera clicking away faded to the background as Noctis shed the vest, passed into the care of his dutiful manager, and worked his fingertips over the buttons of the smooth dress shirt below. Then, those eyes —god _damn_ — caught Prompto’s from beyond the lights, and the photographer squeaked before returning to his fake notes behind the clipboard.

He heard Ardyn chuckle, a deep and low sound that let Prompto know he’d been caught.

“Here, Prompto.”

Prompto’s head swiveled up, his ears burning. “W-What’s up?”

Ardyn ran a hand over his stubble and smiled, a devious smile that had Prompto groaning internally. This was the look his boss got whenever he had some kind of scheme going. One time, he’d tossed Prompto into a fish tank with a waterproof camera for some breathtaking water shots just because he didn’t want to get wet with the leopard sharks at the local aquarium. It wasn’t until after the shoot that he’d bothered to tell Prompto that leopard sharks were harmless.

“Why don’t you take over for a while?” His boss pulled his hair back into a short ponytail, eyes glittering with mischief. "As beautiful as he is, he's not my type. I think someone who knows the subject so _intimately_ would surely be able to bring his best assets to light."

On one hand, he was being offered control of the shoot. Ardyn rarely gave him control of anything. Every photo cost money and one mishap could make Niflheim Studios seem unprofessional, and if people were paying for Ardyn’s photos who was Prompto to take the camera with his boss’s reputation on the line?

On the other hand, Noctis Lucis Caelum half naked in high-def glory. Maybe even fully naked; Prompto clearly hadn’t been paying attention in _that_ meeting.

Prompto took a shaky breath and stood behind the camera. Ardyn shuffled back and crossed his arms, watching him from over his shoulder, more amused than worried if the smarmy expression on his face was anything to judge by. Balanced on a work stool with his long legs stretched out, Noctis raised an eyebrow briefly before returning to his methodical strip tease. Prompto bit his lip, watching the corner of Noctis’s smile turn up, and put his eye to the view finder.

He’d unbuttoned the first three buttons, traced the center line of his abs down his belly, and the shadows were perfect. Prompto took the shot, feeling short of breath as Noctis’s lithe body twisted the opposite way. Frowning, Prompto watched as the prince shrugged his shoulders, tilted his face up to the light and let the dress shirt ease down his back, hiding what Prompto wanted to see most.

Ah, that was the point. He snapped another shot and let out the breath he was holding. In his viewfinder, he saw Noctis smile breathlessly.

"You can direct him, you know," The devil, Ardyn, whispered into his ear. “Pose him.”

“Yes, thank you Satan.” Prom hummed back, nerves singing as Noctis hands moved down to the front of his slacks. He watched absolutely hypnotized as Noctis teased him with the gold clasp of his belt. Prompto had to suffocate the voice in his head that demanded he drop to his knees and take care of that pesky belt buckle for him. And whatever else was ailing the prince beneath the belt. “Is he going to strip completely?”

“If you ask nicely,” Noctis purred, propping his foot on the stool and turning to face the camera once more. Prompto died, flushing from his neck to his blonde roots.

“I j-just wanted to know what I could ask f-f-for the shoot.” He bit his lip hard, and Noctis rolled his eyes in response. Then he crooked a finger. Prompto’s mouth flooded with desire, having seen that move a thousand times in his dreams, his fantasies, the _videos_.

Prompto snagged the photo of his dreams right then and knew he’d need a personal copy of it if it _killed_ him.

Noctis exploded with laughter, and Prompto was taken aback. Without thinking about it, he took a few candid shots, finding a nice shot of Noctis wiping the tears from the corner of an eye. “No man, I wasn’t _posing._ I want you to come here. Literally. Wanna pose me?"

Prompto pinched himself as he walked forward, arms crossed to at least pretend to be professional. Ardyn snickered in the background. “I thought about it?” It was supposed to be a clean statement, but his nerves made his tone twist up at the end.

Noctis regained himself, sobering up only for his stoic expression to crack into a wobbling smile as Prom flushed cherry red and looked away. He leaned forward, bright eyes inspecting Prompto’s face as he stopped short of him. "Go ahead. I’m not actually all that good at these still image things. A sexy expression isn’t always sexy when you press pause.”

Prompto knew what he meant, though he couldn’t imagine Noctis making a weird face with his video paused.

Noctis gave him a quizzical look as Prompto mulled over what he had to work with. They had a nice set going on and it’d be a shame to keep Noctis confined to a single chair. Chains, some almost as big around as Prompto, dangled from the ceiling and cast spindly shadows over the furnace. There were some ridiculous windows on the eastern wall of the building, starting about halfway up the wall with massive panes meant to let out steam and smoke. The building was already ginormous on its own, designed to house machinery bigger than some houses Prompto had lived in, and these windows needed hand cranks and powerful hands to get them moving. He remembered that because they couldn’t do anything about closing them or shielding the light, and they’d had to set up in a spot in the room where the natural lighting wouldn’t interfere with the lighting Ardyn preferred, blocked by iron pours and blasters.

Right then, those windows were letting in the soft gray light of an overcast morning, and that gave Prompto a good idea.

He looked back at Ardyn. “You mind if I try something else?”

Ardyn lifted his hands in defeat. “I did say ‘take over’ for me, did I not?”

Prompto smiled with all his teeth, brushing his hand under his nose. He turned back to Noctis, who flashed him a somewhat confused, but immediate smile in response. “Follow me up to the catwalk? Won’t take long.” He pointed to the staircase beside one of the furnaces.

Noctis exchanged a glance with his manager, who pressed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with a nod. Then he popped off the stool and followed Prompto upstairs with his camera securely looped around his neck. Prompto tried to hide his embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck as the other interns glared at him. Ardyn truly didn’t seem troubled with Prompto doing something on his own, though, so he tried not to kick himself for derailing the project a little. If his photos turned out good, there shouldn’t be any complaints even if they weren’t used in the final product.

The metal stairs, red with paint and rust, creaked beneath them. Prompto was glad Noctis hadn’t made it to taking off his shoes yet, worried about nails and things. They hadn’t planned on shooting up on the catwalk, but Prompto had explored on his own after work had finished. He had a lot of spooky looking photos of the room, spying lights from beneath the center grate, which let steam through from below, and the storm clouds lighting up the sky through the enormous windows.

Prompto led him to a large open space, a solid clearing just beneath the windows where a control panel faced the furnace below, and the other side dropped into open air. “Up against the railing, beneath the windows,” Prompto offered.

Noctis turned on him suddenly, taking one of Prompto’s wrists before yanking him over to the place in question. He shuddered when he felt Noctis’s sharp collarbone beneath his palm.

“Pose me,” Noctis repeated, tilting his eyes at Prompto. He was curious, a little tentative about what he was saying, as if the prince wasn’t quite sure of what he was doing. Prompto couldn’t tell if he was honestly being seduced or if they were playing a game. Maybe it was both.

Noctis didn’t say a word as Prompto pushed into his personal space, didn’t say anything when he pressed his nice clean shirt against what had to be old lead-based paint and probably hadn’t been cleaned in over twenty years. Prompto didn’t think much, outside of the composition, his hands moving on autopilot while his eyes took in the view. He wasn’t really thinking about sex, or the videos right then, just… what he though was sexiest, what ways Noctis shone the best. He unbuttoned the rest of Noctis’s shirt, let it hang freely while Noctis relaxed back with a soft sigh. He traced his fingers over the divot down his stomach, felt the twitch of his muscles when Prompto’s nails scraped over a sensitive area, but when he wasn’t told to stop Prompto continued.

He finally got his hands on that shiny belt buckle, sliding the leather out of the clasp slowly. Prompto’s eyes flickered up to Noctis’s, who returned them with a small, warm expression. Teasing, yes, but not mean. Not shutting him out. Prompto sighed through his nose and thanked the stars that no one else could see what he was doing from their position below. he’d die if anyone walked in on him undressing the model…He unbuttoned Noctis’s slacks revealing silky red boxers that offered a beautiful contrast surrounded by all of this shadow. His knuckles brushed along the dark patch of hair peeking out just above the band of his boxers, and Prompto choked.

Noctis leaned in and whispered against his ear, “Getting a little ahead of yourself?”

Prompto bit back a moan. “Just doing what you asked, Prince.”

He snapped his mouth closed when Noctis flinched back. Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ , okay, that’s one way to come out to your fantasy. Before he could really gauge Noctis’s reaction, he took one of Noctis’s hands and brought it up to his long neck, Prompto’s favorite part. “C’mon, I gotta get some good photos or all the bullying I’m about receive is so not gonna be worth it.”

He stepped back and forced himself to look at Noctis through the camera. God, this was such a good idea. The light was just soft enough not to completely throw Noctis into shadows. Prompto just need to adjust the aperture a bit, and… yeah, Noctis was practically glowing, his hair haloed by a glaze of light. Noctis must have recognized when Prompto shifted from play to work because as soon as that camera was snapping Noctis’s facial expression shifted back to his usual come-hither look. Prompto watched as he pushed his elegant hands up the curve of his neck, tilting back just enough to let the light cascade over his cheeks, highlighting the soft red of his lips.

Then Prompto came forward, swooped down on his knees at the prince’s feet. Startled, Noctis looked down, and Prompto got a fantastic candid shot of Noctis pushing his bangs out of the way, a heavenly halo circling him. He froze, seeing Prompto’s awestruck gaze as he lowered the camera for a moment, before placing his hand just behind Noctis’s knee, pleading, begging. Noctis responded, licking his lips and reaching out to touch Prom’s cheek.

He took a photo, breathing shallow.

“You look really good down there,” Noctis breathed, in awe himself. “You’re actually worshiping me right now.”

Prompto smiled a little. “I figured… I’d take a photo from the eyes of one of your fans.”

An eyebrow arched. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Prompto breathed, and leaned into the hand stroking his cheek, inhaling sharply when a thumb ran over his bottom lip. Noctis was so beautiful. Oozing raw sex appeal. Was he leaning down?

Shit. _Shit!_

Prompto was already leaning forward, hands clenching tight on Noctis’s thigh, when he heard Ardyn call up, “Anything successful, dear Prompto?”

Prompto whipped away, falling back onto an ass. Noctis’s face was blank for a moment before he hid another laugh into his hand. “Uh, y-yeah! I think we’re good!”

Noctis cupped his hands around his mouth and added, “I want copies of these, actually. If they turn out good.”

“They will,” Prompto stood up, willing the blood in his face to return to the rest of his body. “They totally will. Uh… Mr. Caelum?”

“Noctis,” came the effortless reply. He was already straightening his clothes, tucking his boxers back into his slacks and buttoning the bottom of his shirt up again. Prom was thankful for that, the spell shattered as he was brought back to reality. Wasn’t sure if they’d broken contract or not, since he hadn’t _seen_ the contract, but Noctis wasn’t complaining. Prompto sure as hell wasn’t going to either. He was going to dream about this for weeks, months even.

“You, uh… Isn’t it…” Prompto shuffled on his feet. _Isn’t it creepy? Being felt up by one of your fans?_ In the aftermath, Prompto was definitely feeling a little sleazy, using his job to get that close, that intimate with his client. But he chickened, out, scared of the answer. “No, never mind.”

Noctis pondered him for a moment, before nudging him towards the staircase. “Come on, _Prompto_ ,” He laughed out the name, and Prompto forced his feet to move. “Let’s finish up the shoot.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The rest of the shoot was pretty uneventful. Ardyn took over, and Prompto busied himself with everything but taking photos, or Noctis. It didn’t help that he kept thinking back to those few moments in front of the window, or the way the other assistants were whispering behind him, wondering what it was that had Prompto returning to the set the color of a tomato. They all wanted to see the photos, but Ardyn had already put his foot down on who would be developing these negatives; himself. Prompto worried a bit, wondered just how unprofessional it would look when Ardyn saw his blonde assistant’s arm in one of the photos.

Prompto felt low for the rest of the photo-shoot, kicking himself for getting lost in his own fantasies. This was such a bad idea. He should have excused himself the moment Ardyn had started teasing him for it, should have gone to get coffee or something.

Prompto let out a breath of relief when it was finally all over. Another assistant started doling out the tasks needed for breaking down the equipment, and it helped being bossed around. It helped him swallow the disappointment that sunk in when he watched Noctis wave goodbye from the warehouse door, his sleek manager finishing up his conversation with Ardyn. He watched them exchange business cards.

It wasn’t until he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and admire the sea after work was officially over that his boss showed up, leaning on his shoulder with all his weight. Prompto dropped his cigarette as his balance tipped, laughing a bit. “God, you’re heavy.”

“So’s that expression on your face, my dear.” Ardyn reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Prompto, who accepted it from the corner of his eye. He was surprised to find his fingers closing on more than just a wrap of tobacco.

Prompto looked down at the shiny black card, embossed with golden lettering with the word _Lucis Studios_ on one side. On the back in silver gel were the words, _Call me Noct, not Mr. Caelum,_ with a number scrawled.

He looked up at his boss, who smiled with all his teeth and walked away with a laugh. “See you in the morning, Argentum. I better not find anything _too_ pornographic in my films.”

“You won’t!” Prompto laughed, his feelings bubbling over. A mess of ecstasy, confusion, apprehension. Then he pulled out his phone and gave the number a call.


	2. Festival Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm enjoying myself so much, don't mind me.
> 
> But fair warning, mentions of past child abuse? Prom and Loqi were neglected by their mom, but theyre both super passed it now and grown adults. its just a good explaination for why Prompto is oversensitive to everyones expressions and tones, and always worrying, as well as his self deprecation. I'm not going to explore his past any more than that though. He's a good, healthy boy now. he's worked hard.

_Ooooooooooooh Man, what am I_ doing _?_

Prompto slapped his hands against the sides of his thighs to a nervous beat, watching crowds of people pour out of the trains waving cheap glow sticks and fanning themselves with brightly colored paper. The more kids that passed him the more distressed he became, the faster his hands twitched. God, who was he kidding? Who goes to the festival for a first date?

_He’s gonna hate me. He’s gonna think I’m twelve. Oh, but what if Noctis had just wanted, like a one-night stand and this date’s been doomed from the start? I’ve never been a one-night kind of guy. Oh, fuck, that’s it, isn’t it?_

They’d talked once before last week and decided to meet up for the Night Lights Festival. Prompto, of course, had been simultaneously on cloud nine and a walking mass of nervous energy all week.

Prompto had dressed up as much as he could in the oppressive summer heat. Something told him Noctis would have laughed him out the door if he’d caught him in a tie and dress shirt. His closet was impressively empty, so instead Prompto sort of raided the costume department at work for something casually chic. Prompto figured that the clothes that models wore would be enough to impress an actual model. And he pulled it off! Probably. He’d always looked good in reds and browns, and maybe, like, the red of his tank-top would bring out the purple in his eyes a little more? And he’d even gone the extra mile to snatch some of Loqi’s make-up to hide his freckles.

He looked down at his phone to check his reflection in the dark screen. Yeah, he looked good, maybe even downright sultry.

He clicked the screen to life and a weight settled in his stomach, a cold but familiar sense of disappointment as he realized that he’d gotten his hopes up for nothing again. His date was already twenty minutes late.

He should have known better. Didn’t matter how nice he looked if his date wasn’t interested in seeing it, right? He should have given up ten minutes in. The only reason he’d stayed this long was because… well, Noctis had been so… He’d left him his card, yeah? Surely that meant that whatever that had been between them at the shoot…

Prompto leaned back against one of the station pillars and tried to swallow the bitter taste of negativity. He just had to think positive. Noctis had given him his card because he’d been interested in him. In Prompto. He was probably just running really late. After all, lots of people were coming to the Night Lights Festival, so he wouldn’t put it past the trains being behind schedule or overcrowded. They had a big concert that’d be playing all night with a crazy good line-up, and tons of other things going on. They’d cordoned off the whole downtown district near the Wharf to make room for the festival, like they did every year. _Everyone_ came to the Festival. It was the highlight of the summer.

To be honest, Prompto had been looking forward to the local food stands setting up, and maybe getting some impromptu photo ops of the crowd goers with his phone. Maybe even get a few candid shots of Noctis underneath the fireworks.

As more time passed and the sounds of the festival lifted higher into the air, that cold feeling sunk lower and lower into Prompto’s bones. It was closing in on forty-five minutes now, and no responses from Noctis on his phone when he tried to text.

He put his hands in his face, despite himself and sat down on the brick wall of a flowerbed. Didn’t matter if his make-up was ruined now. He’d probably come off too desperate, calling as soon as he’d gotten the card. Prompto couldn’t even be mad about it. Noctis had probably just realized how stupid of a mistake it was to give out his personal number to a desperate and weak fan of his _porn_ videos. _Oh god, why are you crying, Prompto Argentum, you didn’t even know him that much?? Stop before you smear your eyeliner, you big idiot._

Prompto heard giggling and looked up to see two girls talking to themselves and casting their eyes to him every so often. They were both super cute, and dressed in festival yukatas with their hair pulled up behind their ears. When they laughed, their hairpins glittered, the tiny built in lights glowing softly in the evening haze.

He realized he’d probably wiped away the concealer hiding his freckles, and blushed red. Just what he needed; more reasons to be ashamed of himself.

Before he could skitter home with his tail between his legs, however, those same girls shuffled forward, and he forced a confused smile. He’d absolutely die if they offered to fix his make-up. He’d bawl flat out if these two pretty girls took pity on him after being stood up.

“Um,” the girl on the right worried her bottom lip until it was a caramelized apple red, and Prompto stood a little straighter. “sorry to, like, bother you or anything but… um…”

The other girl nudged her friend’s ribs, and she squeaked. “We were wondering if you’d like to, y’know, go to the festival with us? We kinda got stood up too…”

Prompto’s eyebrows shot straight up. Ignoring the fact that they’d clearly been watching him long enough to know he’d been stood up, Prompto swallowed down a nervous laugh. “Oh, no I—um, I’m flattered, really but I’m…” he stuttered out, waving his hands a little. While escorting two pretty girls through a festival was definitely an improvement from going home to hear Loqi say _I told you so_ , he’d really wanted to go to the festival with Noctis. “You’re both super cute and all, but, um, actually I’m going ho-”

“Oh my god, I am so sorry for being so late, Prompto!”

Prompto saw Noctis Caelum jogging up behind the girls, one hand shoved into his dark mess of hair, sweat coating his pale skin as if he’d been running a marathon. Prompto’s mouth watered, and he was so relieved to see him, in casual clothes no less, that he let out a pretty undignified squeak. Noctis didn’t wear the regal attire of his dress clothes, like how Prompto usually saw him in his videos drenched in oily black ties and golden chains, but instead a rich navy blue tank top and the best ass-hugging pair of jeans Prompto had ever seen. He could see the harsh outline of Noctis’s toned thighs through the clingy fabric, and he had to rip his gaze somewhere else. He landed on Noctis’s eyes, full of a dark velvet blue that was more than amused.

It might have been his imagination, but Noctis kind of looked jealous.

Nah, not possible. It was just fucking ridiculous that one of the most desirable models in Insomnia’s porn industry, who could literally just point at someone in the crowd and be like _You’ll Do_ , would be jealous of some random girls.

“H-hey,” Prompto looked between the girls and Noct, as if he’d stumbled onto the scene of a crime and was now under arrest. _Oh, man, Noctis had looked so good in handcuffs that one time. No, focus, Prompto._ “Um, sorry, ladies. I’ve, uh, already got a date.”

Noctis tilted his head to the side, a little softer around the edges when Prompto looked back at him. Prompto smiled in response, flushed. He’d made it. He’d just been late. Really, super late, but like, still.

The girls sighed in a dreamy sort of way, not at all as disappointed as Prompto would have expected. But then again, their eyes were on Noctis now, and, yeah, Prompto understood that glassy-eyed expression anywhere. “No worries. I hope you guys have a fun time at the festival.” They waved, shyly, before fanning themselves and walking away.

There was a beat of awkward silence before Noctis sat back on the knee-high wall where Prompto had just been, groaning out loud. “I’m so sorry, Prompto. I got stuck in the crowd, and this guy recognized me down at Lucis Authority station. I had to leave my phone at home, or Iggy would have followed me to the festival, and let me tell you, I did _not_ want this to be a threesome.”

Prompto laughed a little at the entendre, relief flashing clearly over his features. “No, no. It’s cool. I was late too.” He hadn’t been, but Noctis’s soothed expression did wonders for Prompto’s health, filling him up with a bubbly sort of warmth. “Dude, you look amazing.”

Noctis looked down at his own attire with a disapproving frown. “Yeah, not what you’re used to seeing me in. I spent an hour trying to figure out what to wear to a date. I haven’t gone on a real one ever.” He looked up at Prompto, and he could see him worrying the inside of his cheek. “Wasn’t expecting you to invite me on one. Just thought you were calling for…” he trailed off expectantly, and Prompto cringed.

“What?” Prompto crossed his arms in a vehement X, embarrassed. “N-no! I mean, wait, fuck, that’s not-!” When that calculated expression on Noctis’s face didn’t let up, Prompto panicked, turning a brighter shade of pink with every word as Noctis sized him up. “I’m serious! You’re crazy sexy, literally oozing with it, don’t get me wrong, but you’re- I mean-” Noctis raised a meticulously groomed eyebrow, “Oh, _my god_ , just kill me now. I just wanted to go out and have a good time with a cute guy and here I am just literally making a fool of myself-”

Noctis stood up then, taking Prompto’s hands into his so suddenly that the photographer’s rambling instantly died out. “Whoa, I didn’t say that.”

“Right, Okay. Y’know what, let’s just start over,” Prompto nodded to himself, taking Noctis’s right hand into his own and sucking in a deep breath. When he was ready, after Noctis firmly returned his grip, Prompto said, “Hi, I’m Prompto Argentum.”

Noctis’s lips twitched. “Hi. Noctis Caelum, but I go by Noct. Wanna go on a date with me?”

“Dude, so not fair. I asked _you_ out.”

Noctis rewarded Prompto with just the hint of a smile before Noctis gripped him by the elbow and led him down the streets towards the big lights and loud music. Already the festivities of the streets overpowered the bright lights of the skyscrapers looking on from above. Elaborate banners suspended between buildings fluttered above them and danced with a much-appreciated breeze, just out of reach. When he got a second he checked his make-up in the face of his phone and relaxed to see nothing was too out of place, though more freckles were showing than he’d like for there to be.

 “So you’ve never been to a festival before?” Prompto asked, pushing through the soup of people. At the end of the illuminated street, a Ferris wheel spun slowly and looked down on the concert stage, which glittered and flashed a multitude of colors over the crowd. They’d stopped by one of the closest booths to the festival’s entrance and snagged a pair of fans, and Prompto regretted wearing jeans. The price of beauty is always steep, he reminded himself. Now the two of them looked out on the crowd, just a bit overwhelmed with the swirl of booth owners crying out attractions, the incessant flickering of the summer lights, and the robust flavors of the food stalls all vying for Prompto’s immediate attention. So much to do and yet nowhere to start.

Noctis eyed a passing children’s booth, trying to push his bangs out of the way. “Nah. I’ve been super busy at home and with work. It’s kind of nice. I needed a break.”

Work. Prompto bit his lower lip and tried not to think about Noctis’s profession. If Noctis wanted a break, Prompto would give him a break. He just needed to stop worrying every ten seconds whether or not Noct was enjoying himself and actually make it so that Noctis was _definitely_ enjoying himself.

“Alright!” he moved to stand in front of Noctis, walking backwards. “Then we’re definitely going to play every game on this street. I won’t rest until you’re walking home with at least four stuffed animal prizes and a goldfish.”

“Goldfish?” Noctis jogged forward to keep up. “You can win goldfish here? Why wouldn’t you just _buy_ one at that store?”

“That’s the point, dude. C’mon, I’ll show you.” Prompto shot him with finger guns, and with that the date was officially underway.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

True to his word, Prompto took Noctis to literally every booth game, watching Noctis’s face closely for reactions. He’d always been pretty good at reading the body languages of others; his little brother had a temper a mile high and having both come from an emotionally stressed household where even the slightest change in their mother’s strict personality was the difference between dinner and going hungry, Prompto had learned very quickly how to navigate emotional minefields. It seemed to help him out more so in his job than he’d ever would have guessed, with testy and spoiled models who could make or break a successful shoot. He always worked hard to make sure that he matched whatever the aura of the room was with his own, or, if it was going sour, tried to get it back to peak performance.

Noctis wasn’t as expressive outside of work as Prompto had been expecting, and for a while he’d thought that perhaps he was boring him. But then, Noctis laid his eyes on the infamous fishing booth Prompto sung praises about, and lo and behold the gates of heaven cracked wide open behind those rich blue eyes. Prompto _liked_ it. This was the real Noctis, not the guy bolstered by a work persona and false confidence. This was a guy who had to touch everything as he passed merchandise tables, who hummed the tunes of passing radios so quietly Prompto had to strain for them, who got tongue-tied when a woman nearly pulled him inside her fortune-telling booth because his eyes were fixated on her pretty black cat.

Suddenly, it was like Prompto was a Noctis expert. He’d dropped down to inspect that shallow pool of water, couldn’t quite decide on which goldfish to focus on but was completely enamored with the entire collection of their gleaming, jewel-like bodies flashing copper and silver beneath the water. He couldn’t quite get the hang of the fish scoop, kept insisting on “One more try!” and Prompto unrepentantly kept forking over the cash to buy Noctis as many rounds as he wanted.

Eventually, Prompto leaned down beside him and showed him how it was done, their bare shoulder’s brushing as Prompto flicked the small paper scoop under a tri-colored fish and caught it in his bowl. After bagging it and tying it off with a small bell charm, Prompto presented it to Noctis.

Prompto melted under the look Noctis was giving him, as if he’d singlehandedly handed him the world.

Everything was a blast. They played other booths, too, like one where Prompto had to knock precariously placed items off a rail with an air rifle. He earned the higher score for most of the shooting games, but Noctis all but smote him at darts, popping different colored balloons and collecting the displaced prize tickets. He ended up winning a small green fox plush that he playfully pressed into Prompto’s back pockets, fingers lingering perhaps a bit too firmly against his ass to be innocent.

They found a stand promoting a mouthwatering assortment of flavored kebabs from a Lestallian restaurant, infamous for their spiced cuisine, and Noctis insisted on paying for it. Prompto had spent so much gil on _his_ fish that the model was a little embarrassed, but Prompto inwardly accepted that he was more than reimbursed with Noctis’s sheer delight.

They talked over dinner, and Prompto learned that Iggy (real name of Ignis) was in fact _not_ Noctis’s manager but another worker from Lucis who just had a streak of overprotectiveness in him that had inadvertently contributed to Noct being late. He’d agreed to give Noct’s personalized message to Prompto, but that didn’t mean he had to like the fact that Noctis was going out with a stranger, especially a stranger who knew who Noctis was online. Ignis had insisted on at least waiting for the background report to come back, and Prompto wasn’t sure if he should be flattered that he passed Ignis’s test or afraid of the man and his impressive connections.  In turn, Noctis heard all about Prompto’s work under Ardyn and a little about his younger brother Loqi, who could write a book on how the rage of short people is fueled by being closer to hell. Often, he caught Noctis peering into the clear bag to check on his fish, absentmindedly chewing his food and flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

When they were heading towards the wharf for the evening’s fireworks display, and Noctis let out one frustrated sigh too many, Prompto stopped them both and pulled them into the shadow between two booths.

“Here,” The model, confused, complied even when Prompto spun him to face away. Whether he was just used to being manhandled and posed or because he enjoyed the way Prompto’s hands slid through his hair, Noctis allowed the photographer to slip a few of his own bobby pins out of his shock of blonde hair and pin back the unruly bangs. “Now you won’t have to worry about your hair anymore.”

Noctis turned back around. “You’re really not afraid to touch people, huh?”

“Oh,” Prompto’s smile faltered. “Oh, uh… no. Sorry. I get that a lot.”

Noctis laughed, his teeth flashing briefly before he reached out and took one of Prompto’s hands into his own, tentatively sliding his palm across Prompto’s until their fingers were intertwined. His date had a few black rings that pinched against Prom’s palms, but he didn’t mind. He was too busy admiring how long and slender his fingers were, imagined them playing the piano with deft acuity or teasing gently down the curve of someone’s (his) back. He thought back to the way Noctis had caressed his own neck at the photoshoot, and had to start counting backwards from one-hundred to get his thoughts back under control before they could race off unsupervised.

“It’s not a bad thing.” Noctis brought their hands up to inspect closer, admiring the worn pads of Prompto’s fingertips. Prompto marveled at the sweetness of Noctis’s hold, and wished more than ever that he hadn’t worn his biker gloves so he could experience first-hand the softness of his touch.

“I just… you’re probably getting touched all the time whether you want to be or not.” Prompto admitted, and Noctis’s eyes, unhindered by his bangs, flashed up at him in surprise. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, so you _are_ aware I’m a porn actor.” Noctis murmured, pulling their hands aside so Prompto would step closer. There was an inch of space between them now, and Prompto let out a shaky breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “I mean, I know you know what my job is, and I’m pretty sure you’re not here _just_ for my ass, but you don’t treat me like a porn star. Porn actors don’t get asked on dates. They don’t hold hands in public.”

“Uh, humans do.” Prompto answered almost immediately. “I get it. I know it’s your job. I’ve seen a video or six,” Noctis snickered, but Prompto pressed on, looking up when he was too embarrassed to keep eye contact. “but, like, you’re a real person. A good friend of mine is a stripper, and trust me, the stories he tells me about guys trying to hit him up when he thought they were dates… just, fucking sad, you know? You’re allowed to hold hands and play carnival games and enjoy yourself outside of work on like a real date. Just glad you’re, like, on a date with me.”

“Yeah?” Noctis murmured. “Are you glad I asked you out, then?”

“Dude, again, I asked _you_ -”

Something warm pressed against the curve of his jaw, and Prompto’s breath left him in a sudden explosive _whoosh_. Soft lips pressed against Prompto’s throat as Noctis leaned in closer, taking advantage of the fact that Prompto was too embarrassed to see it coming.

It was gone as soon as it’d come, a tender and quick kiss that, when Prompto blinked and looked back down to Noctis, had embarrassed the giver more than the receiver. Without his bangs to hide his face, Noctis’s blush was on full display and any sort of bravado Prompto had witnessed previously when he’d been flirting at the shoot or the sneaky touches in his back pocket was all but imaginary.

Prompto leaned forward, desperate for a real kiss, but Noctis raised their hands and blocked Prompto with the back of his own gloved hand. The taste of leather had never been so unsatisfying.

“We’re gonna be late for the fireworks.” Noctis was breathless.

“Oh, that so not fair,” Prompto _whined_ , but Noctis only laughed at him, cupping his goldfish in one hand before dragging Prompto back out into the street by the other, inexplicably bound together with no end in sight.

Not that Prompto was complaining.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

If Prompto had thought Noctis was beautiful that was before he’d seen the fireworks illuminating the prince from behind. Explosions of dyed starlight burst above the water at the piers like celestial flowers, and reflected on Noctis’s dark hair in kaleidoscopic patterns. Even his once endlessly dark eyes now brightened like gemstones, sharp and clear and focused. If Prompto didn’t know any better, it was like Noctis was seeing fireworks for the first time, soaking it into himself in ways only a god would; with awe and parted lips, quickened breaths and possessive fingertips. He imagined he’d taste like lightning, and that the heat of his body was the summer and his eyes were the night sky, sucking Prompto in with every tilt of his chin, every hushed word and furtive, heady glance.

 Prompto was by nature a loving person. He felt everything, intensely, immediately, and it had burned him more times than he cared to admit. He’d learned to put up walls.

And here he was, willingly letting himself wax poetic about a guy he’d just met.

He had it bad, he knew it.

Noctis put his back to the water and leaned against the railing, pulling Prom in to press their foreheads together with their lips only a beat apart. They didn’t kiss, but that was fine. The way Noctis’s fingers tugged at his beltloop was plenty enough for Prompto, the soft rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in Prompto’s scent while the boom of the fireworks worked to a crescendo behind him.

“Thank you, Prom,” Noctis murmured, eyelashes drifting low while something warm stirred in Prompto’s chest. “For this. For being normal. For treating me normal.”

“Anytime, Noct.”

For a few moments, Noctis searched Prompto’s face. After concluding that Prompto was as sincere as sincere could be, he let out a soft sigh, his breath ghosting over Prompto’s parted lips. “You’re really something.”

Then Noctis tilted his face up and let their lips finally connect, and Prompto had to grip the rail behind them for support because the prince most definitely tasted like fireworks and the heavenly night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This willbe my least angsty fic. My other fics are angst city, but this will just be so I can have fluff in my repertoire.


End file.
